| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Bladewind
Master of Realmslore
Netherlands
1280 Posts |
 Posted - 31 Aug 2011 : 20:28:37
|
Inspired by the work of Bruce Cordell on Khalusk I thought that perhaps we could make a handy scroll containing concepts for cool locales to adventure in. Cool Netherese ruins, ancient grey-orc citadels, Aryvandaar outposts or other enigmatic locations you used in a campaign of yours and would like to share are what I seek after.
|
My campaign sketches
Druidic Groves
Creature Feature: Giant Spiders |
|
|
MisterX
Learned Scribe
Germany
118 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2011 : 21:43:00
|
Abandoned Netheril Outpost
I once set an dungeoneering-adventure in an old netherese outpost at Urmlaspyr (sembian port at the Dragon Sea). It had been translocated to the Plane of Shades during the Fall of Netheril and was abandoned, since. The PCs encountered a group of Shades analyzing a portal, which led to the outpost (they tried to enter but my PCs were faster).
When they entered the portal, they were transported to the first level of my dungeon, containing traps, undead and riddles. They had to prove that they were worthy entering the outpost (since the designers thought it was possible to occasionally misspell the password…) thus solving a great riddle consisting of, like, 10 minor riddles and encounters. When entering the second level, they found the old outpost (all decayed but with the occasional magic item, a living spell from a failed experiment when Mystril died and a golem iirc) with libraries, a kitchen etc. There were some monsters that evolved over the thousands of years (the Netherese wizards had some magic items which didn't stop to supply the environment with food…), but mainly vermin up to giant spiders. Ghosts would also fit perfectly, here.
The third level consisted of four rooms and could only be reached by a portal when wearing special amulets the PCs had to find in the second level. They were no monsters in the third level, but portals in all four rooms. In the first, the players arrived (and could, of course, go back to the second level), in the fourth they could have left the outpost. The two other rooms contained several portals (for scrying and travelling), my PCs used one of them… |
I've lost track of recent realmslore, since my campaigns are still in the 1370ies. :-)
---
When talking about rules (and related stuff) I always refer to 3.5e unless explicitly noted. |
 |
|
|
Bladewind
Master of Realmslore
Netherlands
1280 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2011 : 21:44:24
|
I'll start with a dungeon I devised for a Cimbar campaign but never got to run.
Located beneath a limestone cave where a tributary river leading to the Akanamere in Chessenta sprouts is a remnant of a temple to the Primordial Titan Astraeus (titangod of Dusk). Its first entrance is currently submerged by the black waters in the cave. It leads to an entrance hall that is illuminated by the greenish hue of the fluorescent slime covering the cavernous and stalagmite dotted floor and dripping from of the ceiling stalagtites. The entrance hall is dominated by an elevated moon shaped pool filled with water thats covered by a film of green-black mucus, surrounded by a mix of old Turami glyphs and newer Mulan and Imaskari carved graffiti.
The elevated pool is the real Gate to the extra-planar prison of Astraeus. This prison is a long rectangular box several miles across, crisscrossed with knee-deep aqueducts that constantly pool water on the comatose titan whose shackled roughly in the center of the room's floot to a colossal throne. The gravity in this box is erratic, making the crisscrossing aqueducts seem like an spherical web of masonry and fluids that eventually are pointed towards the Titan. Around the middle parts of the web large green-black Cysts can be seen, from where the water becomes tainted and foul smelling.
The 10 to 40 feet wide, knee-deep rosey-marble aqueducts flow with a constant speed (about 20 ft per round), bringing along anyone that fails to maintain their footing. Most of the 5ft high sides have statues depicting gargoyles or long forgotten water deities and primordials. Some gargoyles are real monsters, emerging from slumber when their aqueducts are disturbed somehow. Some parts of the room form gravitational nodes, where water collects in a fluctuating bubble before pouring onto a 'lower lying' aqueduct floor. Some are so big that these have strange denizens of the elemental plane of water in them. The Cysts also usually house a few Kaort sorcerers.
Around Astaeus' throne are 4 huge marble sentinels, depicting a set of Turami godling-kings (one armed with wand and sword and one with a staff) and two guardian warriors armed with shield and spear, overlooking the throne with a stoic vigilance from a slight elevation. The throne has a single magical waterdrain under the seat that keeps the comatose titan submerged from his shoulders and down. A single huge tree stands before Astraeus, its branches with dark mansized grapes hovering just out of reach over the titan. It has become putrid and corrupted, constantly dripping mucus on the titans head.
In my campaign this prison was recently corrupted (hence the cysts and green mucus) by a cabal of Kaorti sorcerer-assassins who worshipped an abberant vestige of Thayd. Their influence corrupted the waters and threatened to poison one of the main water supplies to Cimbar. Their plan was to eventually get the titan to feed on the rotten fruits and use his diseased form as one of Thayd's engines of destruction.
It originally was a prison-plane built by Lathander during his earlier incarnations as a Turami godling of dawn, after he had to battle Astraeus for his right to assume the primordial titans position as the dusk aspect of the sun. He build the prison to give the god a tormenting existence ala Tantalus. |
My campaign sketches
Druidic Groves
Creature Feature: Giant Spiders |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Share your adventuring sites
